A/N: Very short at only 377 words. I was contemplating that if this had happened in Canon, then suddenly everything that came before, I could be alright with it. Of course, if everything that came after still remained unchanged, then I would again have to disavow the last two books.

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She hadn't spoken to him since he came back - cold shoulder all the way. In another time, another place, Harry might have been inclined to talk to her on Ron's behalf, but he'd left them... again. He'd hurt her by going away and well, things were different now. They'd gotten rid of Ron's sleeping bag when he walked out on them and now that he was back they had to make do with two.

Ron's expression the night he'd come back was memorable. Completely oblivious to how tired, hungry, and close the two had become, when Hermione went to bed first he'd tried to follow her. She stood up from the sleeping bag, moved to the other one that didn't have Ron trying to squeeze into it, and deliberately turned her back on the affronted ginger.

Huffing and sulking at the same time, Ron wrapped his sleeping bag up around him, clearly intending to punish Harry by keeping the second sleeping bag all to himself - he could freeze for all Ron cared. His anger and resentment turned to shock as he saw Hermione holding her bag's flap open for Harry. Harry bent down to slide into the sleeping bag.

Ron's muddy brown eyes met Harry's emerald green and instead of ducking his head apologetically, Harry met the stare and held it. Ron, under the implacable stare tried to muster the hurt and anger he felt, to play on Harry's soft sentimentalities and make his perpetual guilt work in his favor, but Harry's eye's were cold and sharp and... Ron had to break eye contact before Harry killed him. He cowered in his sleeping bag like a worm in a coccoon.

Conflicted at being happy and displeased, not by Ron's presence but because she was happy Harry had stood up to Ron for her and sad because she was still holding the flap open for him and she was now quite chilled due to their staring contest. Resolving to end this pointless tete-a-tete between Harry and the Coward, Hermione reached up and snagged Harry's shirt collar. Down he came and with a kiss on the cheek, he settled in behind her and wrapped himself around her. Much better! she thought as she drifted off to sleep.